EVERY city has an outstanding business hotel and, in Beijing, the Great Wall Sheraton fits the description. The hotel is 15 minutes from Beijing International Airport in the eastern part of the city. Responding to demand from business, the hotel has converted two floors of hotel rooms into office units. Rates for these are negotiated on an individual basis. It has a 24-hour business centre with offices available for rent at 1,200 yuan (HK$1,320) per eight-hour day. The 24-storey hotel has 1,007 rooms, including a presidential suite, two VIP suites and executive floors. A 1,140-square-metre ballroom on the second floor is available for meetings, conventions and exhibitions. In addition, there are nine smaller function rooms. For food and beverage services, the hotel has seven restaurants and lounges. It boasts one of the best Western restaurants in town, Le France. Specialities of the house include US char grilled meat, caviar and smoked salmon. Shark's fin enthusiasts can indulge their passion at the Fortune Restaurant which specialises in fresh seafood, shark's fin and bird's nest. Guests looking for a panoramic view of Beijing can visit the Yuen Tai restaurant where Sichuan delicacies are served. Yuen Tai is 21 floors above the city streets and offers pleasant views. The hotel became Beijing's first high-quality international hotel when it was completed in 1984. It is managed by the US-based ITT Sheraton group which looks after more than 400 properties around the world. In March, Hutchison Whampoa said it had acquired a controlling stake in the hotel from the Beijing Tourism Bureau. The other original joint-venture partner was E. S. Pacific Development and Construction Co. Hutchison already owned a share of the Sheraton Hong Kong but the Beijing acquisition marked the group's first move into the mainland hotels market.
